refined

[ri-fahynd]

adjective

1. having or showing well-bred feeling, taste, etc..

   refined people.

   Synonyms: elegant, genteel, courtly, civilized, courteous, polite, polished, cultivated
   Antonyms: crude, coarse, rude

2. freed or free from coarseness, vulgarity, etc..

   refined taste.

3. freed from impurities.

   refined sugar.

   Synonyms: distilled

4. very subtle, precise, or exact.

   refined distinctions.

refined

/ rɪˈfaɪnd /

adjective

1. not coarse or vulgar; genteel, elegant, or polite

2. subtle; discriminating

3. freed from impurities; purified

Other Word Forms

• refinedly adverb
• refinedness noun
• half-refined adjective
• nonrefined adjective
• quasi-refined adjective
• semirefined adjective
• superrefined adjective
• ultrarefined adjective
• well-refined adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of refined¹

First recorded in 1565–75; refine + -ed ²

Example Sentences

In the first half of November, shipments of Russian refined oil products fell to their lowest level since the invasion, according to a Treasury official.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

NIS employs tens of thousands of people and has an 80% market share in Serbia’s market for refined oil products, which includes gasoline.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Reliance is the first major Indian refiner to formally detail its transition ahead of the European Union's January 2026 deadline, when imports of petroleum products refined from Russian oil in third countries will be prohibited.

Read more on Barron's

They are refined to remove unwanted materials, stored in specialized facilities, and transported across the country.

Read more on Science Daily

But quantum networking will only be possible once today’s clunky, error-riddled quantum computers are refined.

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

• classy 
• cultivated 
• delicate 
• discriminating 
• elegant 
• genteel 
• polished 
• precise 
• sophisticated 
• subtle 
• tasteful 
• urbane